Remembering Marc

Marc
Davis. Courtesy of Walt Disney Enterprises.

In
order to understand, as well as we can, the art of Marc Davis, we
start by changing the single word of Mark Twain's brilliant definition
of the art of writing: "The difference between the right
word and the almost right word, is the difference between lightning
and the lightning bug."

How close to the edge between triumph and disaster is all drawing
and writing; how courageously did Marc (and Mark) risk that razor's
edge. Today, grossness and crudity in drawing seems to sadly prevail
in animation, but they cannot ever erase the beautiful effectiveness
and eventual triumph of the single line as exemplified best by the
artistry of Marc Davis.

Sincerely,
Chuck Jones



Although I'm reluctant to follow the combined
eloquence of Chuck Jones and Mark Twain, the editors of Animation
World have asked me to add some of my own reflections on the
late Marc Davis and his art.

Marc Frasier Davis was born in Bakersfield, California, on March
30, 1913. He studied fine art at the Kansas City Art Institute,
the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and the Otis
Art Institute in Los Angeles. He began working at the Walt Disney
Studio in December, 1935. His exceptional draftsmanship and knowledge
of human anatomy enabled him to help create some of their most memorable
characters during the 42 years he spent there.

Davis
at work on Bambi. Courtesy of Walt Disney Enterprises.

Davis and his close friend Milt Kahl -- who
was his only rival as a draftsman at the studio -- were usually
assigned the realistic human characters in the Disney features.
Davis later said these assignments led him and Kahl to regard their
talents as "both a blessing and hellish curse. The humans basically
carry the story: if the audience doesn't believe in them, it doesn't
matter how funny the comedians are."

Davis' polished draftsmanship enabled him to give his characters
believable personalities. Cinderella's movements reflect her gentle
modesty, while Tinker Bell's saucy walk reveals her impudence. The
icily beautiful Maleficent moves with a controlled, reptilian power
that contrasts sharply to Cruella de Vil's flamboyant gestures.
Davis' work is also distinguished by a pervasive sense of design
and pattern. When one of his heroines turns, her garments and hair
move in sensual arcs that emphasize her feminine grace.